These Things Happen, Except When They Don't
by Joey Destructo
Summary: A totally unreal fantasy which I dreamed up after reading many of the mangas and playing way too many video games. PG-13 for some violent scenes, as well as a few romantic ones (one of which makes little or no sense). Please review for any reason.
1. Dreams and Distress

**Dreams and Distress**

Ranma gasped as the cold, icy cold blade pierced his skin and drove itself into his flesh. In horror he looked at the knife embedded in his stomach and toppled over. As he lay staring at the sky he could faintly hear a choked voice call his name. He realized it was Akane. She entered his sight. Her tear streaked face was almost too much for him to bear. Her shoulders shook and fresh tears streamed down her face as she walked toward him and softly spoke his name. Then she sat down next to him, bent over him and gave him just one final kiss....

"Noooo!!!" Ranma shot up in bed, gasping and drenched in sweat. Pale morning sunlight spilled into the room through the curtained windows. For a moment he forgot what woke him. Then the vivid images of his nightmare flooded back to him in a rush. The knife in his gut, the blood on the ground, and Akane's crying face. He was not sure why, but that one image seemed the worst. It had seemed so real, so much more real than any other dream he had ever had.

Suddenly there was a crash and the whole household was at his door. Genma, a panda at the time, held up a sign: What's going on? We heard a scream. "Oh," said Ranma. "Just a bad dream. But if you'll excuse me I really need to use the restroom." He got up and walked swiftly to his bathroom. He spashed some cold water on his face to wake him up, and then some hot to make him a guy. He ran his hands down his face and shook his head to get rid of the water. Putting his hands on the sink, he looked straight into the mirror. He could still see Akane's sad face in his head. He could almost see it in the mirror, it was so real. Every time he thought about it, it almost tore his heart in half. I can't be falling for her, can I? thought Ranma. He thought of his dream again. He replayed all over in his mind. By the time he was done, he was on the verge of tears himself. He finally felt one roll down his cheek. "There's no doubt about it," he said softly to himself. "I'm in love with Akane. I guess I always was, I just didn't want to acknowledge it. But now I can't do anything but let her know. How do I tell her?'' Ranma thought this over for a moment. "I guess I should talk to pop," he said finally. "He'll probably know what to do."

After dressing, he went to the breakfast table. "My, you're certainly late!" exclaimed Soun. "You're always early to mealtimes. What's up?" Ranma did not want to look up and see anyone there yet, so he kept his head down and said, "Um, actually, I need to talk to my dad about that." Everyone exchanged glances. Genma stood and walked over to Ranma, who led him to their meditating room. After they both sat down, Ranma took a deep breath and started the conversation. "Dad," he said, "Have you ever had a dream that was so real, you thought it was real even after you woke up?" "Yes," replied his father, "Once I dreamt I ate a fish but when I woke up I found I was hungry!" "Dad!" "Oh, you're serious. Ok, once or twice." "Did anything happen later that was similar to your dream?" "No. Ranma, where are you going with this? What are you not telling me?" Ranma sighed, and told his dream to his father. "And the worst part is," Ranma said when he was done, "Is that I keep seeing Akane's crying face in my head. And it makes me want to cry." Genma sat a while in thought. "Anything else?" he asked.

Ranma bit his lip, but couldn't resist blurting out, "Dad, I think I'm actually in love with Akane!" He flushed and cast his face downward. "Well!" said Genma, and brought his hands down on his knees. "Well, that could explain the dream. How long have you felt this way?" Ranma thought before he spoke. "I guess," he said, "I guess I always did, ever since I met her, but didn't acknowledge it 'til now." "Hm," said Genma. "Well, it could mean that because you have been repressing your true feelings and acting like a jerk towards her, your conscience has made this dream to show you that life can be cut short, and if you don't tell her you love her soon, you might not get to. Your conscience may also be tired of repressing these feelings, and is forcing you to acknowledge your desire. However," he said in a very serious tone, "It could be a real event that is going to happen in the future, in which case you had better be careful! If you have it again, try to remember all the details. In any case, however, you have acknowledged your true feelings for Akane. That is good. Repressing feelings can be harmful and dangerous, in physical and emotional ways." Ranma thought over all this. "Thank you," he said at last. "When should I tell her, and how?" Genma stood up. "Whenever you are ready, son," he said, placing a hand on his son's shoulder. "I cannot tell you when or how. You can handle that yourself." With that, Genma left the room, leaving Ranma to think.

For nearly a week now, Ranma had not said a word to Akane, and little to anyone else, either. But by chance, fate, or Akane's will, Ranma would soon confess his secrets.

Ranma was sitting on his bed in the middle of his room when there came a soft knock at the door. "Ranma?" Akane slipped through his door and shut it softly. It was evening in winter and she wore her short skirt, but with thick black stockings. "Ranma," she said to his back, "What's wrong?" She walked over to him and sat down on his left side. "I know you've been avoiding me since last Monday," she said to him. "What happened?" She looked at Ranma, who seemed catatonic. She stood up and sat down directly in front of him. She lifted his head up to look at her and said, "Ranma! What's wrong?" As if noticing her for the first time, his eyes moved and stared into Akane's. Her eyes held all the compassion and concern her voice was wrought with. He sighed and closed his eyes. "Akane," he said, "There's something I need to share with you." With that he recounted his nightmare. "I have had it every night since then, and I think I will have it again until I tell you..." He trailed off. "Tell me what?" she asked."Akane," he said after a moment, "do you know what was the worst part of the dream?" She shook her head. "It was your face. Your sad, sad face has haunted me for every night and day I have had since that night. And it's because, because I've never told you, I always repressed, I just..."

He sighed once more and looked into her eyes. "Because I love you, Akane." "Wha-What?" Akane stammered, caught off guard. "Yes," said Ranma, "no matter what I've done or said to you,. I've always loved you. Since the day we met I have never laid eyes on a more beautiful woman." Akane stared at him, completely unprepared and unsure of what to do. "Ranma, I, I," she began. "I don't know what to say! This is so sudden, I-" Ranma interrupted her and leaned forward. "Say what's in your heart." She looked deep into his eyes, and she felt her irresistable love for him swell in her heart. "I love you too," she whispered. Ranma smiled and wiped her eyes. "No more crying," he said. "I've seen too much of that." He grasped her shoulders and pulled her into his arms and kissed her tender lips. They seperated, but spoke no words. He held her in his strong arms and she rested her head against his chest. She felt his warmth, and heard his heartbeat, and she knew he was the man she would marry, the only man for her. And so she nodded off, a smile upon her face. Ranma smiled in turn as he held his love like a trusting child. He ran his hand through her dark locks and said, "Goodnight, my sweet love goddess." Then he too fell asleep with Akane in his arms, and had no dreams. It seemed that this was the perfect ending.

But then, nothing is ever perfect.

It was five in the morning at the Tendo/Saotome residence. All was quiet. At first, it was just a rattle of a cup on a table. But soon the tremors increased. Akane's eyes fluttered open. Ranma was still asleep, so she elbowed him in the stomach. His eyes sprung open. "What's goin' on?!" he exclaimed. It was dark outside, but soon there was a light growing outside; too fast for the sun, and too dim. "Let's go outside and see," she suggested. They saw Nabiki running in the halls to her room. "What's going on?" asked Akane. "Go outside!" she said. "I have to get something." With a shrug they raced to the front door and found it open. Everyone else was already outside. "What's happening, guys?" asked Ranma. "Look!" said Kasumi, and pointed towards the sky. An orange streak was hurtling fast across the sky.. It looked like a large shooting star, but it was gradually turning towards them. They gasped as they realized that it might hit them. They were about to run when they saw that the object was too far overhead to hit them at its angle of descent. Suddenly Nabiki appeared with a telescope. She hurriedly set it up, and when it was done she aimed it at the object and peered through the eyepiece. "Huh," she said. "It looks like some sort of airplane." "Lemme see," said Ranma, and pushed her out of the way. Nabiki glared at him. "Yeah, it does," said Ranma, "Except I've never seen any model like that before." The object roared over their heads at about four thousand feet, nearly knocking them off their feet. Genma and his son leapt onto the roof. They watched the craft as it descended slowly on its collision course with the ground. It finally plunged into the forest many miles from the city, so far that the shock was not even felt in the city.

Later that morning the news covered the event, but dismissed it as a meteorite, and was of no concern anymore. However, Genma and Ranma didn't get to hear it. They packed and left for the forest immediately, taking Akane with them.

Meanwhile, in the forest...

Out of the burning wreckage emerged a battered figure. He cast himself, panting, onto the ground, just as the fuel cell detonated. A shard of shrapnel managed to pierce his armor between his knee and his calf plate. He let a groan out as he dragged himself over to a tree and propped himself up against it. He braced himself and grasped the metal. Then, clenching his teeth, he gripped the shard tighter and pulled it out. He gasped in pain and cast the bloody metal away from him. Fortunately for him a medpack landed near him. It was charred and some of the items were unusable, but all the things he needed to patch up his leg seemed to be intact. Then, setting his guns aside, which he managed to save from the wreck, he set to work on his injury. He wouldn't go far with a bad leg giving him pain all the time. He had seen a town go away behind him before he crashed. The fighter was facing due north, so he needed to head south. After he fixed his leg he sat back against the tree. He was amazed at how tired he was. He yawned. Maybe I'll just take a short nap while my leg heals, he thought sleepily. I mean, walking around tired can be almost as dangerous as walking around with a bad.... His helmeted head drooped, and he was soon fast asleep. He assumed he was going to have to find help on his own. Little did he know that help was already on the way!


	2. What's Going On!

**What's Going On?!**

Ranma shot up in his tent. The dream had visited him again, this time more vivid than ever. It was burned into his memory. Every last detail was etched with a diamond into his mind. The icy knife, the trees all around, the smoking wreckage, the body next to the tree, Akane's dripping wet hair, and the green outfit she was wearing. He was sure this was a vision of what could be. He climbed out of bed to use the bathroom away from camp with an uneasy feeling deep in the pit of his stomach. Upon returning, there was a deafening crack as a flash of lightning split the sky. As if on cue, the downpour began. Cold drops hit Ranma's face as he stared at the sky. He shivered. He had hoped he wouldn't have to turn into a girl today, but now he couldn't avoid it. "Hey, Ranma hold this," said Akane from behind him as she handed Ranma a metal pot. It was icy to the touch. With a flash of foreboding he turned to look at Akane. Her hair was dripping and she was wearing a green raincoat. Ranma gasped mentally as a flash of recognition shot through his mind. It was going to happen today!

After breakfast they resumed their journey. Ranma was on double alert, and didn't say a word. After only a short while they came to a clearing. of broken trees. There, at the far end, was a smoking wreck, the flames doused by the rain, which was still falling. Then they noticed the armored figure propped against a tree. Ranma saw the body reach for something ever so slowly, so slowly he probably wouldn't have caught it if he weren't looking for it. Ranma waited. Akane and Genma stood behind him at a gesture of his hand. He appeared to observe the environment and take mental notes, but he never took his eyes off the body. He's gonna do it soon, thought Ranma.

Suddenly, almost too fast too see, Ranma sidestepped as the figure shot his arm out, and Ranma snatched a blur out of the air. Looking down at it, he saw it was a long dagger, two feet, hilt and blade. "You're good," came a man's voice from the figure, barely audible above the din of the storm. "In all my years, I've never not hit my target before. Who are you? As a matter of fact, where am I?" "There's a lot of questions that need answering," said Ranma, "But right now we need to get you back to shelter, assuming you don't attack us again." "I give you my word," he said soberly. "My honor as a warrior. I can assure you it was a case of a mistaken sense of danger." Satisfied, his panda, I mean father, nodded at Ranma. "Can you walk?" asked Ranma. The armored man stood up and stepped forward gingerly out of the shadows, giving the group a better look at him.

His armor looked very high tech and futuristic. It was composed of sage green plates over a black body glove. His visor was yellow and reflective. "My leg was injured," he said, looking at his right knee, "But I did a good enough job myself to walk at least. Let me get my weapons and then we can go." He went over to the tree and bent down. He returned with a sleek silver pistol, a strange automatic rifle, a peculiar sniper rifle, and a powerful-looking shotgun, all of which the company gazed at in wonder. Walking over to Ranma, he took his hand and said, "Miss, I am deeply sorry that I tried to kill you. I am trained to kill. I am not proud to say this, but I was made for combat. And I have just returned from a war zone. I was being shot down when I turned towards your town. They left me when I reached it, and when I crashed I was sure they would go around and come for me. I thought you were one of them. As a token of my deepest apologies, I will let you keep that knife for yourself. It is long, but fashioned from a rare metal and forged in a special manner so that it is incredibly light. This makes it easy to throw or move it quickly, and it is nearly indestuctible. It is one of the finest blades ever made. It will protect you if you use it well. Again, I am truly sorry."

He let go of Ranma's hand. He looked at the knife for a moment, and then laughed out loud. "Whooo, well, I wasn't expecting that!" he said, turning the dagger over in his hands as he looked at its stunningly intricate and beautiful engravings he had, strangely, not noticed before. "But uh, thank you anyways. I'm sure you really didn't mean it." "Then we are all ok?" asked the man. "Yeah," said Ranma with a smile. Akane stared in disbelief at Ranma. This was the nicest she had ever seen him be, without being mean afterwards. Ranma really meant what he said. Akane wondered if this had anything to do with his dream and their now open love? She pondered over this even until they had reached the Tendo Dojo later that afternoon.

Ranma cast off his pack in his room and went to the bathroom. As he was walking, Ranma murmured, "I'm freezing! I need a long hot bath." "So do I!" said Akane cheerfully from behind him. Ranma clenched his fists. ARRGH!, he thought. "Can I go first?" she asked Ranma. No, no, NO! thought Ranma. He turned around to reject her. Seeing Akane's smiling face warmed him up almost as well as a hot shower. Ranma unclenched his fists and his head of steam blew off. "Sure!" said Ranma. "I'll just wash up in my bathroom." Akane was sure Ranma would say no, but was again surprised by Ranma's kindness. She went in the room and turned on the water. As she untied her robe, she wondered why there would be such a change in Ranma so suddenly. She took off her robe and set it aside. She eased herself into the water and sighed in relief.

I was chilled to the bone! she thought to herself. Ranma must have been too. Why didn't he refuse and take his bath first? I guess I'll just have to ask him later. And I wonder what's going on with that guy in the armor. So many questions. At that she slid up to her neck in the water, and tried to clear her head of questions for the duration of her bath. But she could not. She sighed. It's gonna drive me crazy if I don't get those answers now, so I might as well start by getting out, she thought. Rising reluctantly from the tub, she dried herself off and dressed before heading to Ranma's room.

Ranma shed his clothes and tossed them in the hamper. Going to the sink, he turned on the hot water an splashed himself all over. As he finished drying, he heard a knock at the door. "Just a minute!" he yelled. He tossed the towel aside and quickly dressed in shorts and a t-shirt. He opened the door to find the armored man standing there. "Excuse me," he said, "But your father and Mr. Tendo have both agreed that I should stay in your room while I am here and have all my questions answered by you." He paused and cocked his head to one side. Ranma could almost see the puzzled expression on his face behind the visor. "Although since they are the elder ones they should answer my questions and give me lodging in their rooms," he said. "But that's what they said. I'm sorry if I caused you any inconvenience." "Nah, that's ok," Ranma said as he clenched his fist behind his back, "They're just weird like that. Actually, I think that's a big part of the reason I love and care for them," he mused. "Anyhow, come on in. Make yourself at home." The man entered and Ranma shut the door behind them.

Just then there was another knock at his door. Opening it again, he saw that it was Akane this time. "Hey, um, I was wondering if I could come in," she said shyly. "Dad said I'd find the man here, and I uh, wanted to, kinda, ask him some questions?" "Sure, I was just about to do that myself," said Ranma. "Plus," said Ranma as Akane entered and he shut the door, "You can help answer his questions too." Akane and Ranma sat on the bed while the armored man opted for a chair to take his armor off on. "My name, if you don't know, is Ranma Saotome, and this my fiance, Akane Tendo," said Ranma as the man started to remove his armor. Akane blushed. "So, what's your name?" "Well," said the man, "Since I was genetically enhanced and trained, I have always been referred to as my title, Master Chief. However, I used to go by the name Jonathan Depp, the third."

"Wait," said Akane, "You're the grandchild of the Johnny Depp?" "Yes," said the man and placed an arm guard on the floor, "It's actually quite interesting to have him as a grandfather. I still retain virtually all of his inherent charm, looks, and just plain weirdness, too. I chose a career in military service after a short life as a film star, unlike my father and grandfather. Yeah, I guess you ask that because you'd think I would stay in showbusiness to carry on the legacy." "No," said Akane, "I ask you that because it's impossible to be his grandchild." "Why it's perfectly possible," said Johnny, "If he had my dad in 2009, and my dad lives until 2039 before having me, and it's now 2064, that would make me twenty five, and as soon as I get my helmet off you'll see that I fit that age. It is 2064, right?" Akane and Ranma looked at each other. "No," said Ranma. Johnny was leaning back in his chair, trying to get his back plate off. "It's the year 2004." There was a big crash as Johnny fell over backwards, a silence, and then Ranma and Akane burst out laughing. Everyone else wondered what was going on, but didn't dare check.

After a few minutes, Johnny got his armor off and Ranma and Akane could see he looked almost exactly like his grandfather. And then, after a few stiff drinks, Johnny continued their two sided interrogation long into the night. After all was said and done and comprehended, Akane and Ranma went downstairs and told everyone what they had just found out about their new guest. But you probably already know all of it. What got everyone scratching their heads was how Johnny explained how he went backwards in time through a wormhole created by a massive energy release in his gravometric distortion compensator as he passed through the vicinity of a black hole and this and that and blah blah blah, you get the idea.

Akane then pulled Ranma into the kitchen while everyone else was making sense of what they heard. "Ranma," she said. "There's been something else on my mind lately. Since you got attacked by Johnny, you've been a lot nicer than you ever used to be. What's going on?" Ranma looked into her large, beautiful, questioning eyes and sighed. "I'm not sure myself," he said at last. "Something about the way he was so nice to me reminded me of how well I'd always wanted to be treated by you. And then I realized that if I wanted to get that kindness from you, I would have to do the same for you, and for everyone else. I think that all it is, is that you make me want to be a better man." He smiled softly. "Oh Ranma," she whispered, "That was so beautiful!" She rushed into his large, comforting arms. Ranma chuckled silently. I've been waiting to use that line since I first saw that movie, he thought. Genma came by the kitchen and ducked out of the doorway when he saw them. He closed the door quietly.

For a long while, they held each other, not quite knowing what to say. Finally, Ranma spoke. "Akane, as much as I love you and as much as it pains me to say this, I think we should wait," he said. "I think we should wait to show our love openly until we're ready to actually get married. It would be best. Also," he said with a wink, "It'll be more fun." When Akane backed away from Ranma to look at him, he expected her to be on the verge of tears. Instead, to his surprise and relief, there was only a mischevious smirk. "Oh, you're so bad!" she teased. "Alright, it sounds good to me. Just promise you'll still show it to me in private occasionally, ok?" "Sure," he said, "In fact, why don't you and me go straight to bed right now and get it on?" The look on Akane's face was priceless. Ranma laughed out loud. "Sorry," he said, "I just couldn't resist. How about a kiss instead?" "You've got along way to go to get rid of the jerk in you," she said in her best scolding tone. Ranma looked hurt. "But then," she said in a softer tone, pulling him close, "I never said I wanted a completely good boy." She kissed him slowly, then turned and walked out of the kitchen. She looked back and smiled. "See you tomorrow," she said with a wink. Ranma sighed. "She's so cute."


	3. Some Things Never Change

**Some Things Never Change**

Ranma walked down the dark alley in the rain, grumbling to himself. "Dad uses the last of the fish, and makes me go get more," he muttered angrily. He swore under his breath. Ranma realized too late he was being surrounded. Being so angry at his father, he hadn't noticed that a gang of armed men had come out of the shadows and just now realized they all had their guns aimed at him. A man in a suit walked up to Ranma out of the circle, with another man holding an umbrella for him. "Well," he said with a small smile, "What's such a good looking girl like you doing in a such a bad neighborhood at this time of night, hm?" Ranma did his best to act innocent and helpless. "Oh, I'm lost!" he said. Walking over to the man in the suit, Ranma placed his arms around the man's neck. "Please don't hurt me! I didn't mean no harm! Won't you please just take me home? I just know there'll be a big reward..." he trailed off.

The man smirked. "What kind of reward?" he asked. "Oh, I don't know," said Ranma, and with one swift motion swung on the man's neck, kicked the umbrella man in the ribs and landed behind the suit man. With a practiced flick of his wrist, a knife landed in Ranma's hands and he pressed it against the man's throat as he backed up against the wall, using the man as a shield. "Maybe I'll let you live," Ranma said just as innocently. "Tell them to drop their weapons," Ranma snarled. He did, and the men dropped their guns. "All of them!" he ordered. The man hesitated, then nodded. The men then took out and dropped their concealed weapons. When Ranma was satisfied, he smiled, pushed the man into the thugs, leapt onto a rooftop and ran towards the store. "Be careful now!" he shouted back.

Ranma slammed the front door, dropped the fish on the table, and stomped up the stairs to his room. Johnny was already there. It had been some weeks since he arrived at the Tendo Dojo, but Soun and Genma agreed he could stay, at the very least until he could figure out how to get back home to his own time. He shared a room with Ranma, and had gotten used to Ranma's sex-changing. For some odd reason (wink, wink) he never seemed to mind him being a girl, although it stilled astounded him that such a thing could occur. On several occasions he tried to talk to Ranma about staying that way. "Ranma," he said, "You've been given a great gift! One I'm sure other men are dying to have." "They can go find 'Spring of Drowned Girl' if they like it so much!" shouted Ranma. "I just think that if you thought about it, you'd realize that turning into a girl is a power, not a curse," said Johnny. "I'll admit it's kinda cool and fun," said Ranma, "But inadvertently, or sometimes planned, changes can cause humiliation on my part, confusion on others, and many cases of groping hands." "Well, you got me there..." and so it would end.

"Hey Johnny," said Ranma as he closed his door and began taking off his soaked clothes, "Those lessons and tips came in handy tonight." "Oh really," said Johnny in a monotone as he looked at Ranma undressing. "Yeah, I got cornered by these thugs and I used your moves to capture their leader and make them drop their guns so I could escape. Hey, Johnny? My face is up here." Johnny continued to stare at Ranma's now naked body. "Oh really," he said again. Ranma went over to his sink and turned on the hot water, splashing himself all over. "I'm sorry," said Johnny, "You were saying?" As Ranma got dressed, he repeated what he had said. "Good!"  
said Johnny. "What did I tell you? If you hadn't been a girl you couldn't have done that, and you'd probably be dead or something right now!" "Yeah, well, maybe, I guess..." Ranma trailed off, mumbling to himself. He climbed into bed, pulled up the sheets, and soon nodded off. Although it was only seven, Ranma was visibly very tired, so Johnny left the room, turning out the lights as he went. He went into the living room and sat down on the sofa next to Genma and Kasumi, who appeared to be watching some kind of pirate movie.

He turned his attention to a small piece of machinery in his hands; what was going to be a regulating computer for the Longsword fighter he planned to build. Using what he could salvage from the crashed one and parts he would have to obtain somehow, he was going to follow blueprints in his suit's survival information databanks for a Longsword (so you could repair anything on it) to construct a new one. The plans came with specs and regulations for the ship, and even tests to be sure anything you had repaired was functioning normally. Right now the last thing he could do with the materials he had was to finish wiring and basically putting back together the computer he held in his hands, which is exactly what he set to work on. As the music rose and got more intense, Johnny smiled and hummed along while he worked. "No survivors?" said the two Johnnys, onscreen and off. "Then where do the stories come from, I wonder?" Kasumi smiled. "So you like this movie?" she asked. "One of grandpa's best performances," he said. "Although the second Pirates of the Caribbean was great, too." Genma shook his head and laughed.

Just as the credits began rolling, Johnny held up his finished computer to the light and inspected it. He flicked the manual test switch and watched as the green lights switched on as the computer did a self-diagnostic. "All right, that's all for now, then," he said to himself. "Hey Johnny," said Kasumi. "Yes?" he replied. "Would you like to go into town tomorrow with me and my sisters?" Johnny thought for a moment. "I suppose so," he said at last. "I don't have anything else I can really do here right now, and I do need to look for some of the materials and parts for my ship. Alright, I'll go with you." "Good!" said Kasumi. "Then you'd better go to sleep now, because we're going to start early tomorrow so we can have more time to shop!" "Thank you," said Johnny. "Oh, is anyone else going?" "No," she said with a frown. "Ranma and his pop are going to spend the day training in the mountains, and Daddy's supposed to meet an old friend coming into town at the airport." Johnny nodded, and went up to Ranma's room.

He slipped inside and quietly closed the door, so as to not wake Ranma. Johnny frowned. Something was wrong. There was someone else here. Someone he didn't recognize. He tiptoed over to his rifle and quietly lifted it into his arm. He slowly bent down, drew a clip out of his belt on the floor, and slid it into the gun with the faintest of clicks. Then cocking the gun ever so softly, he trained it on the person standing over Ranma, and flipped on the light switch. "Freeze!" he said. The person whipped around and gave Johnny a good look at her. She had reddish brown hair and looked totally innocent in her casual dress. He didn't buy it. "Get up," he ordered. She did so. "Who are you?" he asked. "M-my name's-" she began. "Tsubasa?" said Ranma. "What are you doing here?"


	4. Sword and Sworn

**Sword and Sworn**

Tsubasa Kurenai sat in the middle of the room while the residents of the Tendo Dojo interoggated her, uh, him. "What are you doing here, and why were you in my room?" demanded Ranma. "Well, I'm here because, um, I'm lost," said Tsubasa quietly. "I was in your room because you're the only one I know around here, and I thought maybe you could help me." "What do you mean you're lost?" asked Soun. "Where are you trying to go?" Tsubasa got up and walked over to a shelf. Pulling out an atlasbook of Japan, he flipped through it and stabbed at a single building on a page. "You know where it is on a map and you're still lost?" said Ranma in disbelief. "I was sure no one could have a worse sense of direction than Ryoga." "That's not it," Tsubasa said, annoyed. "I guess I mean I'm not lost. What I mean is that I can't find this building." Genma pushed his glasses up and inspected the map. "But according to this, the building you're looking for is ten stories tall!" he exclaimed. "I know that!" said Tsubasa. "But I'm telling you, it's not there. I went exactly there and all there is is a drugstore. And the weirdest part is, I was there just yesterday!" For a while they all sat in silence, thinking. "Alright, Tsubasa," said Soun. "I'll take you on my way to the airport. I'll leave you there to look for it for two hours. I'll come back, and if you haven't found it, wait for me at the place I dropped you off, and I'll help you look. Ok?" Tsubasa mulled over this a moment. "Alright," he said at last. "Good," said Soun. "Then let's all get to bed. We've all got big days tomorrow!"

Ranma trudged through the marsh with his face downcast. He wasn't sad; slogging through the mud really takes a toll on you. Eventually Genma called for them to halt, after they were on dry land. Ranma cast his pack off and sank gratefully to the ground, resting his back against a tree. Genma did likewise. After a small meal, they rose and were about to get going again, when there was a great snapping and twisting sound. They turned towards the noise, and saw a mass of leaves fall from the forest canopy about a quarter mile from the base of the cliff they stood on. Ranma turned towards his father and asked, "If a tree falls in the forest, and we're around to hear it, do we check it out?" His father nodded his assent, and they began the descent to the floor. Once there, they could hear the sounds of a fight; yells, thuds, taunts, and the clang of swords. Creeping up to the clearing where it appeared to be taking place, they parted a bush and looked in.

On the left there was a small girl, younger than Akane, with a pair of elbow blades, wearing a green and white outfit. On the right hand there was an enormous man (presumably) in an incomplete suit of navy blue armor trimmed in tarnished gold, with backwards sweeping wings on the helmet. A shock of blood-red hair flowed out of the rear of the helmet and down his bare back. It was impossible to see his face except for two red eyes peering out as if inside an infinite void. He seemed pretty normal otherwise, except for the fact his right arm was a huge, spiked, monsterish claw, in which he wielded an incredibly large sword that seemed to be half covered in some sort of moss. They realized the tree had fallen because his sword had passed through most of it when he attacked. The man and girl attacked and parried for a while, until suddenly the man swept his blade upward powerfully, breaking the girl's guard. Using this oppurtunity, he smashed his fist against her head and drove his sword's hilt into her stomach. Ranma gasped. The man took her head in his hands, raised his sword up high-

"NO!" cried Ranma. Surprised, the man took his kick full in the face. He flew back against a tree, breaking it in half and causing a thunderous noise. Far from being defeated, the man got up, appearing to only have gotten angry. And then, he raised his sword in front of his face. "You are unwise to interfere," he said in a cold, chilling voice. To Ranma's horror, a wrinkle in the sword opened, revealing a single, yellow, reptilian eye. He realized that the sword wasn't covered in moss, but _flesh_. It stared into his eyes, searching his soul, reading his mind. "Ranma, snap out of it!" yelled his father. Ranma shook his head and cleared his mind. "Come on, we've gotta get out of here!" Ranma shouted to the girl, taking her hand and dragging her off into the trees. Behind him, the man let out an inhuman roar. "I will not forget this, Ranma!" yelled the voice on the wind. As they ran, Ranma felt his heart beat faster than it ever had before.

"I wonder how Ranma's doing right now," said Johnny. It was one of those days in early spring where the weather surprises you by being unusually warm. In fact, most people were wearing just shorts and t-shirts. They had been out shopping for about an hour, and it was only seven in the morning. "I'm sure they're having fun," said Nabiki. "They always do." Johnny lowered his sunglasses and inspected a satellite radio on display. That might work, he thought, tweaking his beard.

The entire family agreed that while in public, Johnny would have to at least wear sunglasses at all times, to prevent any mishaps or any number of bizarre fantasies that they thought might possibly happen. After about the tenth one he managed to stop them and agreed to their request. Johnny counted out the bills in his pocket, did some quick mental math, and concluded he would come back here later if he had enough left to buy that radio. It was the best deal he had seen so far, but then, they hadn't been out too long.

"Oh wow, cool alien costumes!" said Akane. Turning to look, Johnny laughed in amused surprise as an Elite, three Grunts, and two Hunters walked past them. Pulling the girls aside he whispered, "Those aren't costumes. Those are members of the group called the Covenant. You know, the ones trying to destroy Earth?" "Really?" said Akane. Johnny nodded. "How many more are there?" asked Kasumi. He looked uncomfortable. "Well, that's the thing," he said. "I don't really know. Five ships were chasing me down, and there may be more. They are capable of carrying ten troops, plus two pilots. The Covenant always keep as many ships full as possible, so likely, there's probably about sixty troops on Earth, maybe less, maybe more. There's not enough to conquer Earth, if that's what you're worried about," he added quickly. "No, my guess is, they sent their best and brightest to find and chase me, and now that they've traveled back in time, their mission is to find and eliminate me so I can't go back and help the fight. However, they don't know what I look like, so they can't find me that way. They will likely try and find out where I am, and what I'm doing." "What should we do?" asked Akane. "Right now? Let's keep shopping. I'll tell you my plan later."

"My name's Talim. I was looking for the sword that man was carrying. It is said to be the ultimate weapon. I wanted it to save my town from destruction. However, I soon realized that weapon is inherently evil. But by then I was embroiled in the fight. I could not leave, and if it hadn't been for you, I would have been dead now. Thank you, very very much."

Ranma thought for a moment. "Is there anything we can do?" he finally asked her. Talim shook her head. "Not likely. Nightmare can only defeated by a very skilled swordsman, better than me, and I've trained for five years. Is there anyone skilled in the sword in this town?" Ranma thought it through thoroughly, but always came back to one person. He sighed reluctantly. "There is one..."

Ranma hesitantly stepped onto the doorstep. "Mind you," he called behind him, "If there was anyone else, I would chosen him anyday!" That said, he drew in a deep breath and exhaled. He knocked. "Yes?" came a voice from inside. "Come on out, Kuno. I need to talk to you." Kuno opened the door and stepped out into the hot afternoon sun, closing the door behind him. "What's going on, Ranma?" he asked. "Uh," began Ranma, flushing bright red. "Wait! Let me guess!" said Kuno triumphantly. "You, the great Ranma Saotome, are asking me, Tatewaki Kuno, for assistance?! Wahahahaha! I knew this day would come!" "Will you shut up?!" cried Ranma, smacking Kuno over the head. "I'm sorry, it's just, you know," said Kuno. "Yes I know!" said Ranma. "Now listen, I'm only asking you for help because the world is in danger and, sigh, you're the best swordfighter I know. Now will you help me or not?" "You really think so, Ranma?" asked Kuno incredulously. Ranma nodded sheepishly. Kuno turned his back for a moment after a huge smile split his face. When he turned back, he was completely serious. "Ok, I'll help you," he said. "What are we dealing with?" Ranma led him to the others, and explained the situation.

After he heard, he sat and thought a minute. "You really think I have chance?" he asked doubtfully. "I mean, it sounds like he's unstoppable!" "Not totally," said Talim with a spark in her eye. "He may have Soul Edge, but he's really only human. He can be defeated, but you must be very good. From what I've heard, you seem to be up to the challenge." Kuno thought a moment. "What if I fight you?" he asked. "Could you gauge my strength from that?" Talim nodded. Going around the back of the house, Tatewaki led them to his training courtyard. "Wait here," he said, as he went into his house. Coming back out with a sword, he unsheathed it and held it in attack position. "Ready?" he asked. Talim grasped her elbow blades. "Ready!" The two charged.

In two minutes it was all over. Talim was on the ground, Kuno's sword before her face in a signal of defeat. Sweat rolled down her face. "I think you're ready," she gasped. Kuno smiled, put away his sword, and offered his hand to Talim. Grasping it, Talim sprung to her feet. "Now all you need is a disguise," said Ranma. "Huh?" said Kuno as he caught the package Ranma threw at him. Inside were a set of Ranma's clothes and a fake black ponytail. "What's this?" said Kuno. "Nightmare has a grudge against me, remember?" said Ranma. "So you need to look like me." "I suppose," agreed Kuno. Donning the shirt, pants, and shoes, and clipping the hairpiece to the back of his head, Kuno did a fair job of imitating Ranma. "There's still something wrong," said Ranma, examining him. Ranma clucked with his tongue. "No, no," said Ranma. "The attitude is all wrong!" Ranma stepped up to Kuno. He rearranged his hair, upturned his collar, and made Kuno wear the right expression. Finally he handed him contact lenses. "To change your eye color," explained Ranma. Kuno put them in and made the confident smiling expression Ranma taught him. "There we go!" said Ranma, satisfied. "Now let's go find this Nightmare, and bring it to an end!"

They had traveled to the same exact spot where they had encountered Nightmare previously, but there was no sign of him. Ranma hid in the bushes, just in case Nightmare was lurking unseen somewhere. When they were ready for the fight, they waited. And waited. Finally, fed up, Ranma yelled out of the bushes, "Come on Nightmare! I'm waiting for you!" His voice echoed, a whisper caught on the wind. "As was I!" The group turned, surprised at the reply. Underneath a massive tree a piece of shadow seemed to melt off from the rest of the darkness. "You will pay for your interference!" he snarled. "Prepare to die!" Nightmare raised his sword. Kuno unsheathed his and held it at the ready. Genma and Talim shimmied up a tree to watch. They found Ranma up there, as well. "Well, it seemed safer than in the bushes, right? Heh heh?" he said nervously as he rubbed his neck. "Just watch the fight!" said Genma.

For a long time, no one moved. Finally Nightmare charged Kuno. Kuno sidestepped and dealt a blow to his back. Howling in anger, Nightmare turned. He swung his sword in vertical circluar motions on either side of his body as he approached Kuno. Rolling under one swing, Kuno twisted and found himself on Nightmare's right side. He attempted a thrust, but Nightmare blocked too fiercely and Kuno fell, sprawled on the ground. Leaping up, Nightmare brought his sword up from behind him in a huge vertical swing. Kuno rolled to the left just as Soul Edge smashed into the ground where his head just was. In a swift movement Kuno was on his knees and dealt a roundhouse kick to Nightmare's calves. He toppled forward and Kuno copied Nightmare's vertical slice. It struck Nightmare's arm and he howled in pain. He rolled away backwards, jumped up, and pulled Soul Edge out of the ground. In fury he attempted a high horizontal swing, which Kuno easily dodged. Unexpectedly, however, Nightmare executed a forward somersault and attacked with a midsection horizontal swing. Kuno jumped back in surprise, narrowly avoiding being cut in half. Instead, the sword got only a subcutaneous slice on Kuno's abs. It was enough to wet the blade, however.

Kuno eyed the sword contemptuously. Nightmare smiled cruelly, his blood-red eyes narrowing behind the mask. Kuno took a deep breath and lowered his sword. And then all hell broke loose. Kuno sprung forward and attacked relentlessly. He went into his signature spinning attack. He put Nightmare on the defensive continously with repeated attacks. Suddenly he leapt high into the air, landed on Nighmare's shoulder, and shoved off, knocking him to the ground. He had barely gotten up when Kuno attacked again. This time he landed many blows until finally, Nightmare stumbled and and fell forward, catching himself. He stayed on hands and knees, not getting up. His shoulders rose and fell as he gasped for air. Soul Edge was no longer in his grasp. It lay on the ground twenty feet away. Kuno approached him slowly. Nothing happened. "Let's see whose behind this," he whispered to himself. He inserted his blade between the straps that kept Nightmare's helmet on and his neck. He felt Nightmare's body tense. He lifted the sword upward, slicing through the leather. The helmet fell off. Kuno gasped when he saw Nightmare's intense red hair fade to a bright blonde. He put his foot on Nightmare's side and pushed him over, where he lay panting and wheezing.

The man was no more than thirty, and probably much less. He had a kind face which was visible even through the sweat and grime on his face. His eyes, green eyes, looked tired and weary with the weight of many sins. "Come, come here please," he said in a raspy voice. Kuno approached cautiously. "I know Ranma's here somewhere," said Nighmare between breaths. "I know you aren't him, but if he's listening, I want to thank him. You stopped me, Ranma, from adding another soul to my collection, and for that I thank you. And you, Kuno, I thank you for stopping me. I would have surely massacred countless more had you not defeated me now. And Talim, I'm glad that you found out about Soul Edge." He pointed to it and glared at it, tears escaping from his eyes, and anger choking his voice. "I once thought as you did, and as many others do know, that I could do great things with it." He struggled to his knees, and coughed. "Please, cut the ties of this armor for me," he pleaded. "I can't breathe." Kuno snapped the leather cords and the armor clattered to the ground. Nightmare was clothed in only a pair of battered pants. He inhaled deeply a few times, until his breathing normalized.

"I thought I could bring back my dead father with it. It told me I could, and I believed it!" said Nightmare in disgust. "It soon became clear to me that I didn't control the sword; it controlled me. It takes over my body when I sleep, and then it uses _me_ to feed its lust for souls! I eventually found out that, that, that _I _was the villian who murdered my father in cold blood!" Sobs racked his body. Ranma gasped. How could anyone bear coming face to face with that? "I attempted to isolate myself, but I had to sleep eventually, and I once again killed. I was once defeated by a sword called Soul Calibur and its wielder. I managed to survive, somehow, and regain my sanity, but I also regained the memories of my terrible sins. I tried to be good, but I soon turned to my old ways. My defeat has allowed me to be free, at least for now, and I know what I must do. Follow me!"

The group followed him for hours until the reached the place he was looking for. Inside a vast cave accessed by a small, hidden opening in a mountain, there was a deep crevasse. They followed him to its edge. Steam and heat vented out of it, giving the place a hellish feel. Nightmare turned to them. "Thank you all," he said. "Without you, this would have never been possible." With that he turned back and hurled the sword down into the chasm with all his might. They never heard it hit the bottom. Suddenly, Nightmare clutched his arm and fell to his knees. He moaned in pain. "What's going on?" cried Talim. They all watched in fascinated horror. The great monsterish claw hissed and eroded like sand in the stiff breezes. The powdery smoke that remained snaked and streamed with a mind of its own into the pit, following the sword. Nightmare looked at his arm. It was perfectly normal, with no sign of hurt at all. "Well, would you look at that!" he exclaimed. "I thought I'd never be rid of it!" For the first time in a long time, he smiled.

As they reached the entrance, everyone turned to look at Nightmare. "What's going to happen now, Nightmare?" asked Talim. Nightmare held up a finger and walked to a corner of a the small hallway they were in. He picked up something too dark to see and beckoned them to stand outside. There was a great _ka-boom_! and Nightmare burst out of the cave entrance just as it collapsed. He produced a sword from out of a large sheath. It was as large as Soul Edge, but it had a blue tinge and emanated a positive feeling. It felt good to stand there. "This is Soul Calibur, which I plundered from the man who defeated me. But now I shall take it up again, in the name of good. With it, I shall guard Soul Edge to the end, so that none shall again find the sword. You must not reveal this place to anyone else, except for your families. They may all come to visit me, which I hope you all do, provided they tell no one else. The secret must remain safe, lest the world be ravaged. Understand?" They all nodded. Finally, they said their goodbyes and began the journey home. As they left tearfully, they heard Nightmare call from behind them, "Until next time! And you may call me Siegfried! Siegfried Schtauffen is back!" And with a smile on their face and a tear in their eyes, they turned and gave one last wave to Siegfried, before heading home.


	5. A Time to Work and a Time to Pay

**A Time to Work and a Time to Pay**

Johnny paced the floor of the Tendo living room. "They said they were only training for the day, right?" he asked for the fifth time. Same answer: yes. Where were they? He sat down and out his face in his hands and sighed. Looking back up, he decided to try to take his mind off of the missing Saotomes. "So, what was the deal with Tsubasa, Soun?" he asked. "Oh, nothing, really," said Soun in reply. "It turns out our map and the one she had were ridiculously out of date. The building was demolished last year. She met with the person she was looking for, and that's the end of that." It was a disappointingly short story. Fortunately, Nabiki tapped him on the shoulder. He looked at her. "So what's your plan?" she asked him. "Yeah," said Kasumi. "You told us you'd tell it to us when we got home, and here we are," said Akane. "Well, I was gonna wait until Ranma and his father got back," said Johnny, "But I suppose I might as well." They all huddled close to him, and he began to tell them.

"Alright. As you know, well, you don't Soun, but anyways there are a number of Covenant troops here, around sixty. My objective-" "Our objective," said the girls. "Ok, our objective is to find out where they are keeping base, as they will stick together for efficiency. My plan is to build a fake campsite in a concealed place. No doubt they have already searched the area around the site, so when they find the fake campsite in a secluded place, they will think it logical they didn't find it at first. I'll set up a phony distress beacon to make sure they'll come. I'll place a tracking signal on something of theirs and follow them back to their base. Then we'll surprise and eliminate them. Sound good?"

They thought it over for a moment. "It is a good plan," said Soun. "When do we do it?" "They will likely search under cover of night," said Johnny, "So we should wait until tomorrow morning to start setting it up." They nodded in agreement. Just then there came a knock at the door. Glancing at each other, Kasumi went to open it. "Ranma!" she exclaimed. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight. "We were so worried about you!" "You don't seem too worried now," he gasped. His back popped loudly. Kasumi pulled away. "Oh, I'm sorry!" she exclaimed. Ranma winced. "No, my back was bothering me anyway," he lied. "Now I don't need to pay a chiropracter, at least." "Where's Genma?" asked Soun. "He's coming," said Ranma. True enough, the panda walked through the door and laid his pack down. Excuse me, read his sign. He walked into the bathroom and came back out a minute later. "That's better," said Genma. Speak for yourself, thought Ranma, glaring at Kasumi. "Now," he said aloud, plopping on the couch, "I think we've got some catching up to do."

Pale morning light filtered through the window when Genma, Ranma, and Johnny had finished their respective stories. Kasumi yawned and looked at the clock. "Oh my, it's late, I mean, early!" she exclaimed, confusing herself. "Come on, Ranma, Akane, Nabiki, you need to get ready for school. Akane swore under her breath. "I heard that!" said Kasumi. Akane, as well as everyone else, had forgotten yesterday was the last day of spring break. She looked up and Nabiki gave the finger to Kasumi's back. She stifled a laugh. Getting up, she headed to her bathroom to get ready. When she finished, she headed back downstairs to watch television before they had to leave.

Ranma did likewise. He wondered absent mindedly what would happen if he attended classes as a girl. He shook his head and laughed. He suddenly remembered something. Damn, he thought. Principal Kuno is coming back today! He had left the country to attend a teaching seminar (to the students' delight) and was returning today (to their dismay). He couldn't be a girl today even if he wanted to. He would need all the strength he had to get through whatever the principal had planned for today (not to mention punish him for it too).

Nabiki flicked off Kasumi again as she headed up the stairs. She grumbled under her breath as she took a quick shower. Upon getting out, she wrapped herself in a towel and went over to the sink. She realized she was out of hairspray. Ranma would have some. He always had some. She walked over to his room. She was about to ask if he had soms when she saw he was a girl, naked, in front of his mirror. What luck! she thought as she raced back to her room to get her camera. This would sell for a LOT! She snuck up next to him so he didn't see her. She aimed her camera, focused, and---Without warning Ranma whipped to face her, a camera in hand. She was so surprised she dropped the camera and stood up straight. "Say cheese!" said Ranma and took a picture. "What was that for?" said Nabiki, confused. Ranma smirked and pointed behind her. Akane was there with a huge smile. Triumphantly she held up a towel. Nabiki didn't get it. Wait. That was her towel. In fact, it was the one she was wearing this morn.... In horror Nabiki looked down. There was nothing but skin on her body. She paled. The sudden realization that she had been the victim of a plot more complex than hers struck her. Then she remembered what she did with her photos. Screaming she ran out of Ranma's room and into hers. Ranma and Akane laughed hysterically. "Well," said Ranma, putting on a towel and splashing himself with warm water, "This could be a better day than I thought!"

When they came home, Ranma and Akane were bright and cheerful, laughing and joking. Nabiki, on the other hand was withdrawn and was blushing uncontrollably. The principal hadn't returned and Nabiki's nude photos were in the hands of every student at Furinkan High. All in all, it was the best day of school Ranma and Akane ever had. For Nabiki, it was the exact opposite. Poor Kasumi was just plain confused.

The wind whistled through the trees in the moonlight. Akane hugged herself as she shivered, and the wind blew in her face and through her hair. Ranma could not help but stare at her beatiful figure in the silver light. She looked like an angel. "Ok, here they come," whispered Johnny, his voice crackling in static. He watched his fake campsite through the scope of his sniper rifle. Ranma and Akane stood behind a grove of trees a few yards away. Ranma shoved the receiver in his ear as far down as he could, and crouched. A small party of cloaked Elites came upon the site and began scanning the equipment there. A couple of uncloaked Hunters hung back and guarded their reconnaissance. "Now's your chance," whispered Johnny over the radio. "Go over to those Hunters, north from you. They're around the grove of trees you're hiding behind. Remember, stay low and in the bushes. Don't make noise. Put it somewhere unnoticeable." Ranma beckoned to Akane and she followed him. They laid down carefully on the ground, and behind to move forward quietly with their elbows.

Akane's heart pounded in her chest, like an animal trying to escape its cage. Although Ranma would never admit it, so did his. They had come up on the Hunters. Ranma and Akane were underneath a thicket of bushes, the feet of the of the Hunters a foot from their faces. Ranma opened his hand: give me the device. Akane placed it in his hand. He was about to reach forward when Akane stopped him. She kissed him quickly. She mouthed, _For luck_. She pointed: look at their faces. He did, to see they were facing each other. After what seemed like forever and a day, they finally looked seperate ways. Ranma quickly reached forward and gently placed the tracker on the back of the Hunter's boot. All they had to do now was wait. After another eternity, they finally backed up silently into the shadows, doing one final sweep of the area. Once Johnny was sure they were gone, he called them. "Good work," he said. "Now for the fun part."

For nearly an hour they tracked the the party back to their base. They climbed to the top of a steep ridge and looked down. There, in a large depression, was the base. There were five ships, just as was predicted. Johnny counted the soldiers; there were sixty, the maximum there could possibly be. "What luck!" he whispered. "Ok, I'm going down as quietly as possible. I'm going to place a remote mine on the fuel cell of each of those ships. If they spot me, your job will be to make sure none of them make it inside a ship. If they do, our chances will lessen. After all the mines are placed and I'm ready for you to detonate them, I'll press this button here. That light on the firing device will turn green, and you depress the trigger. The bombs will explode immediately, so keep your heads down. I'll stay on the ground and you'll snipe from here until all the soldiers are cleaned up. Got it?" They nodded, and Johnny hand them each a sniper rifle he found in his Longsword fighter.

Johnny carefully made his way down the ridge. With unsurpassed stealth, speed, and silence, he evaded the gaze of all the soldiers and placed all the mines without being seen. Akane and Ranma watched him, and then saw the green light glow on the remote. They went under the protection of the ridge, and Ranma squeezed the triggered. There was deafening roar as the bombs detonated and the fuel tanks exploded. Akane screamed and clapped her hands over her ears, as did Ranma. The noise died down after several minutes and was replaced by a ringing in their ears. Ranma dragged Akane back up the ridge and handed her the rifle. She shook her head in attempt to clear her ears, and shouldered the rifle. Down below they could see Johnny in his armor attacking the remaining soldiers among the burning wreckage and debris. Ranma cocked the pistol and peered through the scope. Ranma and Akane chose their targets and fired. Two Grunts went down. After three more shots each, two Hunters.

Akane tried to fire again but it only clicked. She looked around for the ammo. It was lying in a box by Ranma. Seeing her point, he tore open the box and tossed her a clip. He helped Akane reload her gun and then did his. He aimed the gun again. There were a lot less targets now. Only Johnny and five more, four more, Elites remained. A shot from Ranma's took down one. Another went down from Akane's, and Johnny threw a grenade and took out the last two. Akane put the safety on, dropped the gun, and sighed, lying on her back. "Well," said Johnny over the radio, "That's that. Let's go, before anyone shows up." They had no objections.


	6. Apologies Aren't Always Necessary

**Apologies Aren't Always Necessary**

"Akane?"

Ranma had searched the house, looking for Akane, but she was nowhere to be found. He thought of one last place, but couldn't see why she'd be there. He came to the door of the garage and heard rock music blasting inside. He opened the door and was assaulted by music. He went over to the radio and turned the volume down. "Hey, what's going on?" called Johnny. He came around the side of the fighter that was currently taking up nearly all of the garage. No one minded; the Tendos hadn't owned a car since Akane was a baby. "Oh Ranma, it's you!" he said. "I thought you were going to visit Ryoga on your day off." "Listen a minute," said Ranma. "Oh yeah, the rain," said Johnny. "With the music on it kinda got drowned out." "Akane wouldn't be around here, would she?" asked Ranma. "Yeah, she's around back," said Johnny, jerking his thumb in her direction. "I'll be back. I just need to run down to the store and get some tools." With that he ran out the door.

"Akane?" called Ranma. He went around back. He spotted a pair of feet sticking out beneath the ship on a mechanic's wheelboard. He stepped on the board and stepped, pulling the board out. A surprised Akane slid out with the board. She jumped and set down the wrench she was holding. "Hey Ranma," she said nonchalantly. She was absolutely covered in grease. Her face was streaked; she reached up and wiped the sweat off her brow with one of her rolled up sleeves. "I thought you were going to Ryoga's," she said with a smirk, her hair falling in her face.

She's so hot, thought Ranma. He unexpectedly grabbed her shoulders. He drew her in and began to kiss her. She clutched his shirt and was getting grease all over it, but he didn't care. Her delicious lips were flavored with oil. He slid his tongue in her mouth, exploring her, and she did the same. He shoved her a bit roughly against the ship and kissed her deeply. She squeezed his shirt harder. His hands slid down to her waist, where they started going up her shirt. He rubbed her sides as he kissed her more passionately. His hands went farther, until finally they came upon her breasts. He clutched them and fondled her soft, firm mounds. Her chest burned in ecstasy, and she kissed him back hard.

Abruptly he stopped and quickly withdrew his hands. She let go of his shirt. "Whoa," she said. Her heart was thumping audibly, even worse than the time with the Hunters. "Sorry," said Ranma, turning fiercely red and looking at the ground. "I-I couldn't help myself. You just looked so hot in the jumpsuit and grease and all, and, I just, I, uh, gee, I'm really sorry about that." If possible he turned even redder. "Oh that's ok," she gasped out. "No problem. Just, uh, maybe tell me next time, ok? And oh man, if you can do that well making out, I can't wait till we get married!" Ranma was sure his head would explode and catch fire to his body at that. "So, you wanna help us fix this machine, Ranma?" asked Akane after she caught her breath. "Uh, yeah, sure," said Ranma, his voice cracked severely. Akane laughed. "Thanks, Ranma," she said. "For both." She turned her back to him and sat down on the wheelboard. Picking up a wrench and joining her, Ranma wondered how in the world his face hadn't melted yet.

When Johnny returned, he found Ranma and Akane working on the aft port thruster, reassembling the heat guard. Ranma seemed to be hot or something, he looked really red, so Johnny turned on the air conditioner. "How much we got left?" he asked Akane. "Only this, the central computer, the hyperdrive core, and the warp shielding, which turns out to be worse than we thought," she replied and tossed a piece of twisted metal and electronics at him. "It's totally demolished." Johnny went into deep thought. "Hmm," he said. "Well, the computer shouldn't present much of a problem. The core and the shielding, however, are going to be a lot harder. I didn't want to say this, but I think that the only way to get the fuel and components we need..." He hesitated a moment. Finally, he said, "Is to steal them." "Even so," said Akane, "Where are we going to steal them from?" "I'll need to get to America. It is the only place such things exist. A military base in the city of San Antonio in the state of Texas presently holds the only working warp shielding device. It was salvaged from a downed spacecraft. And the element needed to fuel the hyperdrive has only just been created, and it is a heavily guarded secret kept in a next to impenetrable vault in Colorado. I must retrieve them soon before who knows what happens to them." "What about us?" asked Akane. "It's much too dangerous," he replied soberly. "I can't risk your lives on my account. The resistance will survive without me. I can but make it easier. Therefore I must go alone. I will keep in contact though. While I'm gone, I'll need you to find the following things and install them in the ship. I entrust to you the plans for the Longsword fighter. I know you will not betray me."

"Wait, you're leaving NOW?" asked Akane. "I've had this in mind for some time now," said Johnny. "I decided upon it and made the arrangements yesterday. There is no time to argue. I must go." He kissed the top of her head and turned to go. "Goodbye!" called Ranma and Akane. "Goodbye!" he called back. "Hopefully, not for the last time!"

"What are we looking for again?" asked Ranma. "I told you," said Akane as she examined the tree, "We're looking for this plant." She rummaged around in her pack and produced a flashcard of the plant they had been looking for a total of nine days. "And why again are we doing this?" asked Ranma, more than a little confused. "Because apparently the central computer uses organic components, and this is the only thing that displays all the properties of the components," she explained. "Too bad your mouth doesn't display them, we could use it and spare us some pain," grumbled Ranma. BAM! Ranma went flying across the sky. "If he never comes back it'll be too soon, that jerk," she growled.

Ranma walked through the fog and watched the mist curl around his ankles. He sighed. "I guess that was pretty mean," he said to himself. "I suppose I'd better apologize. After all, I wouldn't-hey what the?!" With a sickening snap Ranma's foot twisted, caught in a tree root. He tripped and fell over backwards. He tumbled down a hill and trees scratched and tore at his clothes. He finally hit the bottom and a shooting pain in his ribs took his breath away. He looked at his side and in a gut wrenching moment realized there was a branch spearing him below his bottom rib. Blood trickled from his wound. He gasped and drew in his breath in pain. His only hope now was Akane. He could only hope she was nearby. "AKANE!" he cried, yelling at the top of his lungs. All he could do now was wait, and hope.

_A-kan-eeee_.... Akane turned and looked round. Had she imagined that, or was that Ranma calling her name? _"A-kan-eeeee...."_ She hadn't imagined that. "Ranma?" she called. "Where are you?"

Ranma passed out eventually. In his dream, Akane was running, running, trying to get somewhere. She was being chased by blackness, a nameless fear. "Ranma," she called. "Ranma!" she called again louder. "HEY RANMA, WAKE UP!!!" Ranma awoke with a start and shot up straight. White hot pain streaked through his body, forcing him to lay down. Akane knelt over him. "Ranma, we have to get you to a doctor!" she exclaimed, examining his wound. He shook his head. "No," he said painfully. "You're the doctor now." "Ok," she said. She gripped the stick. Ranma clenched his teeth and closed his eyes. Akane looked away, and pulled. The stick came free easily in her hand. Ranma groaned as pain blinded him. Several tears forced their way unwittingly out of Ranma's tightly closed eyes. He sighed. "Oh, Ranma," said Akane. "This is my fault! If I hadn't made you leave..." "But I was the one who made you mad," said Ranma softly. "I'm sorry." "Me too," said Akane, blushing. Trying to stop, she picked up the branch and looked at it.

"You're lucky," said Akane. "Look, the branch wasn't in very far. Still, it must've hurt like hell." "You think?" said Ranma as he measured the wetness on the branch. Only about two inches, he mused. "We'll still need something to hold the bleeding," he said. Akane looked in her pack. "Good thing I brought this first aid kit," she said. She produced a white metal box with a red cross on it. "You'd never have brought it yourself. Now let's clean up that wound first. This'll sting a, well, likely a lot..." She poured alcohol on a sterile cloth and swabbed the inside of the wound, removing the dirt and bark. At least she was honest, thought Ranma. Afterwards she made a compress and wrapped gauze around his waist to hold it down. "Can you walk?" she asked. "I'll probably need a crutch," replied Ranma. "I think I broke my right ankle when I twisted it in a tree root." With only a little difficulty he raised himself into a sitting postion and rested his hands on the ground. He felt something poke his hand. Looking under it he saw a red flowered plant with thorns.

"Hey Akane, what kind of plant is this?" asked Ranma. "Just a minute," she replied. She broke off a dead piece of wood off a nearby tree. "This should work for a crutch," she said. Ranma held up the plant he pulled out of the ground. "You know, this looks a lot like-" she broke off. She pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket and unfolded it. She seemed to be comparing the paper and the plant, but Ranma couldn't see- "Haha, Ranma you idiot, you've done it!" she exclaimed. "This is the plant we were looking for, and you found it!" "Sure wasn't worth the price," he said, rubbing his side. "Ah come on, you're a tough guy!" said Akane. She gave him a playful punch in the shoulder. "Now, let's get going. I've done a fair job, but we should really get you to a real doctor." Ranma picked up the crutch, testing his weight on it. "Alright," he said, "Let's go!"

It wasn't long before the pain of traveling became too much for him to bear. As soon as he unrolled his sleeping bag, he fell upon it with a great sigh. As Akane started a fire, he remembered something important he wanted to ask Akane, but hadn't been able to because of, well, their fighting. Also because he was nearly spineless when women were nice to him. Even as Akane served him dinner, he still hadn't mustered up enough. He spooned a mouthful of stew into his mouth, and a look of shock crossed his face. "As bad as always?" asked Akane wistfully. "Actually, no," said Ranma truthfully. "That's why I'm surprised." "Really?" said Akane. She tasted some. "Wow," she said. "I guess Kasumi's cooking classes really paid off." (Little did they know that what Akane had warmed up wasn't the stew she made but the "horrible" stuff Kasumi made and wanted to get rid of.) "Is there anything I can do to make you comfortable, Ranma?" asked Akane. Ranma set his spoon and bowl down near the fire.

That's it, he thought. It's now or never. "Actually, there was one thing," he said, poking the ground nervously. "What's that?" she asked. "Come here," he said. "First, um, hold me in your arms," he said. "Okay," she said, doing as he asked. Akane's heart thumped and she blushed. "Now what?" she asked. "Um, now, stroke my hair," he said in a small voice. "Like this?" said Akane, running her hand over his locks. "Anything else?" "Yes," he said. "Could you please, um, sing to me?" "Sing?" asked Akane. "You've always had the most beautiful voice in the school," said Ranma. "What do you want me to sing?' said Akane, heart going a mile a minute. "You are my sunshine?" said Ranma. "Uh, ok." She began. She stroked his hair gently and held him close while the firelight flickered and cast long shadows.

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me hap-py, when skies are gray..." Oh jeez, here it comes, thought Ranma. Tears of joy made paths down his face. I promised myself I wouldn't! Oh well. At least it's just Akane. Akane, my love.... He leaned his head against her chest, feeling her heartbeat and voice. She swallowed, and continued as best she could. "You'll never know, dear, how much I love you, so please don't take my sunshine away..." She sighed, in pure contentment. Oh Ranma, she thought, and fell asleep.

Ranma woke up, still in Akane's arms. Her heartbeat had slowed to a normal sleeping rate, instead of the jackhammer inside her last night. He could not figure out what was wrong. He turned his head slowly, not wanting to wake his darling. What was it? It was just before daybreak, so light wasn't it. The fire seemed to have been put out by Akane last night; the clumped black coals weren't even smoldering.

What could be wrong? He sensed it; the feeling something just wasn't right, like someone was watching him. He finally decided he would have to wake Akane up. "Akane," he whispered. "Wake up sleepy head..." Her eyes fluttered open. She released him and yawned. "And I was having such a wonderful dream, too," she said, yawning. She blushed when she remembered what it was about. "Oh, it's still early," she said, taking notice of the sky. "So why are you awake?" "That's what I'm trying to figure out," he said worriedly. "Something here isn't _right_," he said, furrowing his brows. "Something's different, but I can't put my finger on it." He hobbled around on a foot and a crutch, surveying the landscape, taking in everything about the campsite, about the woods, about himself, about Akane. Nothing seemed different. "Nothing seems wrong, but I feel it too," mused Akane. Ranma took a deep breath and sighed. "Maybe we're just going crazy," he said, and snorted while closing his eyes. They suddenly flew open again. He sniffed the air. "Akane, come here and smell this!" he said. She came, and took in the air deeply. "You're right, but where is it coming from?" asked Akane after a few minutes. "I'm not sure, but I'm going to find out!"


	7. Nobody Can Have Everything

**Nobody Can Have Everything**

"So, how is it you think I can get you into Fort Sam?" asked Alan. Johnny glanced around the cafeteria. "Listen, kid," he said. "I can't stay here. Sooner or later someone's gonna see me. Meet me outside the gym an hour after last bell, we'll discuss it there. And trust me, I can make it worth your while." With that, he stood up, pushed in the chair, and walked out the door. Alan chewed on his sandwich thoughtfully, and decided not to go.

"Tell me why you think I can get you into Fort Sam," asked Alan an hour after school. "Word is," said Johnny, "Is that you know someone who lives on base. Can this person get us in?" Alan sucked in a breath between closed teeth. "What's in it for me?" he asked. Johnny extended his hands. In one was a wad of bills and in the other was what looked like a palm pilot. "Five thousand dollars and a wealth of information any scientist or government would love to get their hands on," said Johnny. "You can't let anyone else see it, though. Because if you do, I'll know. Now are you in, or are you out?" Alan bit his lip and thought. "Alright," he said finally, "I'm in." He grinned. "No promises, though." Johnny smiled back. "There never are."

Five days later, Johnny and Alan found themselves stuffed in a tarp in the back of a truck. Johnny wore his armor and Alan dressed in all black. Johnny produced a pistol and loaded a clip into it. "You're not, are you?" asked Alan. "Just knockout darts," he assured him. "I don't want any deaths. One dart will instantly take down a person, rendering him unconscious for one half hour; plenty of time to do it."

Johnny peered out of the tarp and window. They were in.

Johnny hid in the bushes with Alan while he explained his plan. As he screwed on a silencer to his pistol, he reviewed with his partner what would happen. "First," he said, "You fire several distraction shots with the explosive shells. While most of the guards check it out, I will run to the entrance building and hide any guards I knock out. Once inside, I'll have to take an elevator ride for approximately two minutes. I get inside, take out the guards, and capture the machine. I'll take the elevator back up and come out. The device has to be carried in two hands, so I'll need you to keep the guards distracted or down. Got it?" Alan nodded and pumped the shotgun. He took careful aim. When Johnny reached the building, he hid and gave the signal. Alan held his breath, steadied the gun, and fired.

The explosion was deafening. The shell detonated a cache of unseen fuel and ammunition. Alan decided against firing any more. Meanwhile, Johnny slipped in the building and hid the only guard in it. Johnny felt along the walls for the hidden elevator. He felt a slight rise and pressed on it. A slit opened in the wall. He took out his universal skeleton key card and inserted it. It could trick nearly any system into believing it was an authentic access card. This one was no exception. The well-concealed door opened silently and Johnny stepped in. The doors closed, and he went down. He unhooked a paralyzing gas grenade and prepared to pull the pin. The door opened, he pulled the pin, and tossed it in. It exploded, filling the room with a thick green smoke that paralyzed unprotected beings while making it impossible to see with normal vision. Switching to an x-ray visor, Johnny moved quickly through the smoke and found the container holding the shielding device. Using his handy access card, he opened the container and grabbed the machine. He ran back to the elevator and slid his card. He went inside. The doors shut, and he went up.

He burst through the doors of the building and raced with unnatural speed to Alan's hiding place. "Grab on!" he yelled. Alan gripped his neck and Johnny leapt over the fence. Bullets tore the air around them. The military ceased fire, being across the highway from civilians. Johnny and Alan ran to their getaway car, and left.

Akane came back out of the trees after she had dressed. Tugging at her dress, she said, "I hope we don't have to hike much more, because all I have left to wear is my school clothes..." "I won't make you," said Ranma. They packed up camp and followed the scent that lingered in the air. It was faint, but unmistakable. Okonomiyaki.

The smell got stronger and they went faster. They could now hear it sizzle on a grill. It was just up ahead. Pushing a few branches away they stepped into the clearing. On the far end to the north there was a cliff overlooking a valley of a legendary river composed of interconnecting hot springs. To the east, west, and south, there were trees encircling the clearing. In the center there was a gas griddle with two okonmiyaki sizzling on it. There was nothing else. "I don't get it," said Akane in confusion. "Neither do I," said Ranma, puzzled. They walked around the griddle and inspected every part of the clearing. Finally Akane stopped and stared at it. She shook her head and walked towards the cliff. There on the ground, unseen previously, was a pair of panties. Akane bent down, picked them up, and started walking over closer to the cliff to look at them in better light. "Hey Ranma, what does this mean?" she asked, puzzled by the presence of this underwear. Ranma looked over and saw too late a rope pull taut before Akane's legs. She tripped, and fell.

"Ranma!!!" she screamed. Shedding his shirt and shoes and tossing them across the river, Ranma dove over the cliff after her. She hit the water a second before him. He smashed into the surprisingly warm water and took Akane in his arms. He resurfaced and pulled Akane's head above water. "You okay?" he asked, his voice thick with concern. "Yeah, just a little sting," she said with a smile. Her face suddenly fell. "Look," she whispered. Ranma turned. There, not a half-mile and closing, the river ended. Ranma swore. "Hold on to me," he said, and began to swim back upstream. But his bad ankle and wound soon began to burn. He knew his only hope was to get to shore. But they were in the middle, and he knew at present he wouldn't be able to move fast enough. He sighed. He had hoped he wouldn't have had to do this.

"Akane," he said above the roar of the rushing water, "Please don't hat me for this. Oh, and kick off your shoes." She did so, and Ranma pulled out his knife from his pants. He gripped Akane's collar and pulled it out. He placed the point of the blade at the center of the outstretched collar. In a swift stroke he brought it down, slicing open the dress. Akane gasped, but Ranma continued without hesitation. With a couple quick cuts she was free of the dress and it sunk to the bottom. "Hang on to me!" he shouted above the din. Using every ounce of strength and will he had, he swum powerfully towards shore. In only a few seconds he would be there. In only a few seconds he would be over the cliff. Akane gripped his neck tight and squeezed her eyelids shut. She suddenly felt the water fall away beneath her and she held on. With a jolt the feeling stopped. She saw Ranma had managed to grab the rocky edge of the opposite shore and hung on with one hand. He forced his other hand up. He hauled them up and dragged them to a safe spot upstream under a large tree. Flopped over on his back, he gasped for air. His injuries were killing him. Akane crawled over to him and hugged him tightly. "My hero," she said. Then, exhausted, they fell asleep.

Ranma shot up, sending an inferno up his side. He groaned, but stayed up. For a moment he could not figure out what woke him. Akane slept peacefully beside him. He sat still and took in everything for a few minutes. Nothing. Frustrated, he got up and decided to walk, as best he could, to wake himself up more. The humid air around the hot river felt like breathing soup, and it gave strength and vigor to Ranma as he hobbled along the shore. He stepped on something soft and looked down. It was his shirt, and his shoes lay nearby. What luck! he thought. At least Akane won't be almost naked and hurting her feet out here.

He walked as fast as he could to return to her. When he returned, he found Akane sitting propped up against the tree, hugging her knees close to her body. She saw Ranma and blushed. Turning away, he tossed his long shirt and shoes at her. "Here you go," he said. "At least it's something." After a minute he turned around. The shoes were too big for her, but she could still wear them. As for the shirt, well, it was a good thing it was far too long. It reached down just a few inches above the knees, and the cord, tied at her hips, meant the slits were only up to mid thigh. "Well, I guess we should get going," said Akane. "Yeah, let's," said Ranma.

It wasn't long before they realized they were not alone. They quickened to a run. Arggh! thought Ranma. I really hope he doesn't want to fight. In my condition, I couldn't hold off anyone better than Akane. And if they're better than Akane, that means.... He looked over at Akane and imagined how easily they could fall prey to a strong foe. He tried not to think about it, but the thought still lingered in his mind. "What are we going to do?" whispered Akane in a scared voice. "I don't know," whispered Ranma back, "But we can't fight this person." He stopped running. "Whoever's there, come on out!" he shouted. "We don't want a fight." A voice came out of the trees as a dark figure approached them. "Huh, huh. Neither do I." They instantly recognized the trademark laugh. "Uh, Pantyhose Taro?...." the name drifted uneasily out of their throats. "Don't call me that!" he yelled and sprung forward. Ranma's fist was in his face before he could attack.

"Well, what do you want us to do about your name?" said Ranma. Pantyhose Taro sighed. "There's no hope for getting my name changed," he said. "Not while Happosai lives. The Chinese village law says that after the one who names you dies, you may change your name yourself!" "You mean, you're gonna...?" Akane let the question hang. Pantyhose nodded. "I understand if you will not help me, and I apologize for the trouble I've caused you," he said. "I was trying to trap Happosai. Anyhow, I've decided to take up residence in Nerima now, so feel free to come see me anytime." He handed them a card with his address and phone number. "Huh, huh. See you around." Pantyhose Taro turned to leave. "Wait," said Akane. "Hm?" asked Pantyhose, turning back to face them. "I thought if you were going to go back to town, you could go with us," said Akane. "Ranma's hurt, and he needs to get to a doctor. He can't fight well, so if you went with us, we'd be better off. If you don't mind, of course." Pantyhose Taro smiled. "Really?" he asked. Ranma and Akane nodded. "Huh, huh. I'd like that." So with Pantyhose Taro as their companion, Ranma and Akane set off to get home.

Johnny moved carefully in the snow. His feet crunched softly on fresh powder. The sun shone brightly in the early morning, glinting on his visor. Johnny double checked his scans. There could be no doubt. The entrance to the vault containing the element needed to power his vessel lay somewhere in this mountain snowdrifts.

_Whoosh!_

Johnny threw himself down and raised his gun at the sound. _Whoosh!_ Another one! What was it? Whatever they were, they were coming from higher up the mountain. Johnny triple checked his scans. He realized that the entrance was actually a few hundred feet father up the mountain, almost at the summit. Getting up, he decided to conceal himself better. So for the next half hour, he ducked and dodged behind trees while the _whoosh_ sounds continued and became ever more frequent. Finally he heard a _whoosh _and then a _thump_. Peering out from behind the tree, he was finally about to discover that the sound was in fact.....

Skiiers.

What the? thought Johnny. He climbed a bit further and pushed through a barrier of trees, to find himself face to face with a sign. It read:

Welcome To Aspen Lodge

Ski Resort!

and displayed a painting of a mountain behind the letters. Aspen? Johnny took out his sniper rifle and set it to highest magnification. He looked down at the base of the mountain. Sure enough, there was the town. He put the gun away and looked around the sign. There, as was expected, stood a three story resort and lodge. To his dismay, he realized that the entrance to the vault could only be attained by going into the lodge. Where there could be plenty of witnesses and celebrities and outrage if anything were to try and break into the vault by force.

Celebrities? Johnny smiled. Perhaps it wouldn't be so hard after all....

"See you later!" called Ranma from his doorway. Pantyhose Taro waved and disappeared around the corner. Ranma shut the door and sunk down into the sofa. He turned on the television and watched for a while before falling asleep. Dr.Tofu had given him some drugs to relieve the pain and help him go to sleep. Akane walked in and saw him there. She smiled and quietly tucked a blanket over him. She kissed his forehead and went to her room.

When Ranma awoke he noticed it was daylight. Midday, at least. Shoot, he thought. I'm missing school! Not that I want to go, but the make-up work's gonna pile up and...He sighed. Ranma looked around. No one was home, apparently. However, there was a pile of mail lying on the coffee table. He looked through them and was surprised top see one for him. It was written and addressed in red ink, but Ranma instantly recognized Ryoga's distinctive handwriting. It read: You shall pay Saotome! Meet me at the south end of Nerima, outside of town, in the large field today, the fifteenth of April at five, and prepare to meet your end!

Geez, thought Ranma. He seems really pissed. I wonder what's going on? Could he know about, _us_? Ranma shivered. If Ryoga knew about what was going on between him and Akane, there was no telling what he would do. Ranma got up and stretched. He felt infinitely better, like he could take on the world. At least, his body did. His mind knew, however, what measures Ryoga might take..... Ranma shook his head. I've got to face him, thought Ranma. No matter what I know he will do. Ranma thought of how angry he had gotten when he just _said _he'd kissed Akane. If he knew how Akane felt, and what they had actually done, there'd be no telling to what levels he'd stoop to, just to get back at Ranma. He shivered.

Five o'clock came. In the middle of the field Ranma stood, staring at the sky. He had a bad feeling about this. Why would he want to be outside of town instead of in the vacant lot inside. The answer rose unbidden from his mind. Because out here, no one will see what he does to you. "Rrrr-annn-maaa," came a voice from behind him. Shit, thought Ranma. He's here on time. That can only mean that something serious is going on here. Turning around slowly, he saw Ryoga standing about twenty feet away. "Are you ready?" asked Ranma, getting into a battle stance. "I've been ready," said Ryoga coldly. "Then here I come!"

With a cry Ranma flew towards Ryoga, his leg out in a position to kick. Ryoga made no attempt to dodge it. He simply raised his arm at Ranma. It can't be! thought Ranma in shock. Instinctively he threw himself to the ground just as the hot metal passed through where he would have been. He rolled into a position on his knees. "No, wait!" yelled Ranma. Ryoga, heedless of his words, aimed the gun and fired again. Ranma could not roll aside quick enough. The bullet smashed into his shoulder and sent him sprawling onto the ground. Ryoga stepped forward, filling his field of vision. Ryoga pointed the gun at Ranma's face. "Why are you doing this?" asked Ranma in a pleading tone. "You know why!" screamed Ryoga. "You took her! She was mine! And for that you will die!" Ryoga shuddered with rage and anxiety. "Have you thought about Akane?" asked Ranma. "Are you kidding?!" asked Ryoga in disbelief. "Only since I met her!"

"That's not what I meant," said Ranma, slowly raising himself to a sitting position. Ryoga moved, keeping the gun trained on Ranma. "I meant, have you thought this through?" "Sure!" said Ryoga, blinking back tears. "I'll kill you and take Akane! And then we'll spend the rest of our lives together, without _you _in the way!" Ranma narrowed his eyes. "You haven't thought it out realistically," said Ranma. "Think about it; I know you don't want to acknowledge it but Akane is in love with me. What would happen to her if you killed me, huh? Have you thought about _her _feelings?" Ryoga's mouth twisted and his hand shook violently. "Ryoga, Akane cares for you," said Ranma gently. "I know. She's told me before, and I know you've seen so before. It's just that she doesn't love as anything more than a good, reliable friend, no more than I love you. Sooner or later you're going to have to face the fact that Akane doesn't love you the way you love her. You need to move on. Find someone who loves you back. If you keep it up with Akane, you're only going to end up more miserable before, and I'm sorry, but I won't let you be unhappy." Ryoga could not hold back. Tears escaped, and he flung the gun away from him. He fell onto Ranma and cryed against his shoulder. "It's all right, buddy," said Ranma quietly. He placed his arm around him and patted his back gently. "It's all right."

After a while they went to Dr.Tofu. Fortunately for them, Dr.Tofu was an understanding physician, and asked no questions. Dr.Tofu left Ranma and Ryoga alone after he finished his work. "Ranma?" asked Ryoga. "What is it?" asked Ranma. "Uh, thanks," said Ryoga, flushing red. "I'm, sorry for all the trouble I've caused you. And uh, thank you for helping me." Ranma smiled. "What are friends for?" he said. "You're right, Ranma. I really need to move on. I just wish I knew where to look..." Ranma smiled. "How would you feel about being brothers?" asked Ranma. "What do you mean?" asked Ryoga. "Well, it's no secret at our house, but Nabiki is in love with you," said Ranma. "Here's a picture she wanted you to have, but never found the courage to deliver." He handed Ryoga a copy of the now famous "Nabiki shot." Ryoga blushed deep red. His eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Read what she wrote on the back," said Ranma. Ryoga read the backside of the, shall we say, personalized photo. Ryoga fell off his chair. "Holy...." started Ryoga. "You said it," interrupted Ranma. "You really aren't kidding, are you?" said Ryoga, standing up. Ranma shook his head. "I'm not lying," said Ranma truthfully. "I'm going with Nabiki," muttered Ryoga as he flipped the photo over repeatedly. Ranma only smiled.


	8. These Things Happen, Except When They Do...

**These Things Happen, Except When They Don't**

"Hello, can I get a room?" The receptionist was caught off guard for a moment, then composed herself quickly. "Of course, Mr.Depp," she said in a friendly tone. "Would you like your usual room, or something else?" Johnny smiled. "I feel like a change," he said. "Got anything around back, like room two oh four, perhaps?" "I'll check," said the lady at the desk. She typed for a moment. "Certainly, sir. Room two zero four is all yours." She handed him the key with a smile. "Enjoy your stay!"

Johnny smiled to himself as he walked away. Everything was perfect; everyone thought he was Johnny Depp (which he was), he got the room with the entrance to the vault in it, and he carried his arms and armor in a duffel bag right with him without anyone being suspicious. Unless somebody found out Johnny Depp was somewhere else. That could complicate things. All the more reason to be fast, he thought to himself. He opened the door and locked the door behind him. Unzipping the duffel bag on the bed, he quickly suited up and collected his weapons and containment device for the element.

Now all he had to do was find the entrance. Johnny looked at the scans. A hatchway was hidden under the floor. But how to open it? He wondered a while. He would have to take a scan of technology on the door and in the room to see what would trigger the door. Setting up the scanner on the floor, Johnny selected the appropriate mode. This scanner was large and stood on tripod legs, and although it was less portable than the handheld version, it could perform more accurate, detailed scans within a larger range. The device mounted on the tripod began to rotate. Johnny sat on the bed to wait. He idly wondered what Ranma was doing now. Johnny felt a pang of sadness fill his heart. He knew that all too soon he would have to leave these people, these people whom he had grown to love so much. How could he be expected to leave? If only there could be two of him. Two of him.... Two of him....

Something tickled the back of Johnny's mind, something excited telling him wonderful news with the knowledge it possessed. What was it?! Johnny could not seem to get a hold of the thought that nagged at his mind. He would have to figure out what it was later. His scans were done.

"Hey, you see Idol last night?" asked Rob. "Nah," said Jerry. "I don't like that show. What about-" he never finished that sentence. The knockout dart in his neck would render him unconscious and give him a short term memory loss. "Geez, this is easier than I thought," muttered Johnny to himself. Once he had figured out all you had to do was pull on the bottle of expired prune juice in the back of the fridge to open the door, Johnny had walked right in and taken down every guard without a fight. As he approached the containment field, Johnny pulled out his container and turned it on. The vacuum it created pulled in the element and stored it safely. Johnny turned to leave. As he reached to open the door back to the lodge, something smacked his arm. "I spoke too soon," said Johnny with a grin. There, standing in front of him was a good old fashioned well built security droid. "This will be interesting," said Johnny.

He rolled to the right, setting the container on the ground and taking out his shotgun. One of the droid's many weapons, an auto cannon, focused on him. One shot knocked it aside and a second destroyed it. The droid turned to face him. Standing at fifteen feet tall, with a rocket launcher and flamethrower on one arm, a massive chain gun on the other, shoulder mounted plasma cannons, a large array of self target-acquiring machine guns, and spring loaded legs that could shake the groud as forcefully as an earthquake it made quite a intimidating foe. To most people. Code named "Bruiser", it was one of the military's best weapon and best kept secret.

Bruiser fired a stream of burning napalm. Johnny dodged the flames and unclipped a grenade from his belt. The stream stopped. With amazing precision Johnny hurled the grenade into the flamethrower nozzle. Bruiser fired, detonating the grenade inside itself. The nozzle burst and flaming liquid splashed onto the walls. The eruption exploded Bruiser's rockets, fully destroying his right arm. Firey blood flowed from Bruiser's open wound. His right arm useless, he raised his left arm. The minigun on his arm (though there was nothing mini about it) started to spin, gaining speed. At top speed the bullets tore from it and hammered the walls as Johnny ducked and dodged the huge shells aimed at him. He could not hope to destroy the gun, so he focuse on destroying his other implements until he ran out of ammunition. As he rolled and avoided the bullets screaming around him, he methodically shot and disabled his auto cannons. Johnny put away his guns and took out two plasma grenades. With the same astonishing precision, Johnny chucked the two grenades into the focusing cone on the plasma cannons. Without hesitation Bruisers ejected them backwards, accepting there was nothing he could do. They exploded in the distance, an intense blue fire.

Johnny had counted on the Bruiser having a recurrent critical design flaw, and it had payed off. The Bruiser, while boasting an impressive amount of firepower and excellent aim at stationary and, to an extent, moving targets, and also the ability to recognize many combat situations and adapt, it often fell short in one important and infuriating way. It would not use more than one weapon at a time. Unless commanded to, the Bruisers with the problem would only use one weapon at a time. The scientists had figured out part of the case, but could not explain all. The Bruiser kept tally of targets destroyed and with what weapon. If for some reason it just so happened that a majority of targets had been eliminated with a particular weapon, the Bruiser would reason that if it devoted all its weapons usage to this one weapon, it would destroy more targets than before. This seemed logical, and it explained some cases, but not all. Sometimes it would occur in just one skirmish that the Bruiser would only use one at a time, or even just while testing. In some cases it seemed as though the Bruiser just had gotten a favorite gun that it wanted to use all the time. These flaws also meant that he Bruisers would not adapt to their situation. If it used one gun all the time and the rest were destroyed, when its weapon's ammuniton ran out, it had no weapons to resort to and was destroyed easily. Johnny had hoped that this one was afflicted, and he was right. The gun stopped firing and it slowed down to a halt. And then it began to jump.

Johnny timed the jump and jumped himself as he shock wave passed under him. Johnny unclipped his last two grenades. This had better work, he thought fervently. Its legs contracted. Johnny pulled the pins. It sprung straight into the air. Johnny slid the grenades on the ground. They skittered across the floor. The Brusier began to fall. The grenades stopped under Bruiser's shadow. He struck the floor, or rather the grenades on top of the floor. The explosions rocked the machine, and for a eternity it wavered. Finally, it lost its balance and hit the floor with a reverberating boom. Johnny walked cautiously over to its head. The maintenance panels had come off. Johnny found its CPU, pressed the barrel of his gun against it, and squeezed the trigger. Its ever vigilant eye grew dim, and the machine relaxed. Johnny sighed in relief, and tried to wipe the sweat from his brow. His hand hit his helmet. "Arrgh!" he yelled, and ran up to his room.

Akane walked into the living room and shut the door. She was home first; she always was. She dashed to her room and slammed the door. She locked the door, heart pounding. She had held it off for weeks. She couldn't resist now. She turned her radio on loud. She walked over to her dresser and opened it with trembling hands.

Ranma awoke to blaring rock music. He sat up in his bed and listened. It was coming from Akane's room. That puzzled him. Akane never listened to rock, especially not Metallica, ever before. Was it on to mask something else? Grabbing a glass, he tiptoed up the stairs and listened through the door. At first all he could hear was the radio. As his ears adjusted, he tuned out the music and strained his ears. The only thing he heard was Akane. "Oh, Ranma..." she said, and then she moaned softly. The glass shattered in his hand. Holy shit, thought Ranma. His heart thumped as the thought of Akane entered his mind; she lay on her bed, eyes closed and leaking tears of pleasure, and she cryed out Ranma's name as she imagined his naked body while she...He fainted.

Which is how Akane found him ten minutes later, unconscious outside her door on a pile of broken glass. She stared down at him. Ranma fainted, and broken glass? Shit, she thought. She slammed the door and sat down on her bed. Her heart pounded as she realized Ranma had been listening to her while she was....She fainted.

Which is how Nabiki found them, fainted on either side of the door, Ranma on top of a pile of glass and Akane on top of her sweat covered bed. Examining the evidence, Nabiki realized that Ranma had been listening to Akane and fainted and then Akane found him and fainted when she realized he realized she had been....She fainted.

Which is how Kasumi found them, Nabiki lying in the hallway, Ranma in front of Akane's door on top of a pile of glass and Akane in her room on her sweaty bed. She looked at the clues and determined Nabiki had fainted when she discovered Akane had fainted when she saw Ranma fainted outside her door on a pile of glass and realized he knew she had been....She fainted.

Which is how Soun and Genma found them, Kasumi lying on the stairs, Nabiki in the hallway, Ranma in front of Akane's door on a pile of glass, and Akane in her room on her sweaty bed. Piecing together the loose ends, Soun and Genma found that Kasumi and Nabiki had fainted when they saw Ranma fainted outside Akane's door and that Akane fainted on her sweaty bed when she realized Ranma knew she had been...They fainted.

Which is how Happosai, Ukyo, Ryoga, Pantyhose, Shampoo, Mousse, Cologne, and Kuno (who all happened to be going to the Tendo Dojo for one reason or another) found them, Soun, Genma, and Kasumi on the stairs, Nabiki in the hallway, Ranma in front of Akane's door on a pile of broken glass, and Akane in her room on her sweaty bed. From this they deduced that Soun, Genma, Kasumi, and Nabiki fainted when they saw that Ranma fainted outside Akane's door on the glass he had broken and Akane had fainted when she realized Ranma heard her and knew she had been....

They all fainted.

Which is how morning found them all, sleeping peacefully in various places on the Tendos' floor. Then they all woke up. Then Ranma fainted when he remembered what Akane had been doing, Akane fainted when she remembered he knew what she had been doing, and Soun, Genma, Kasumi, Nabiki, Happosai, Ukyo, Ryoga, Pantyhose, Shampoo, Mousse, Cologne, and Kuno remembered that Akane had been.... They all fainted. Johnny walked in the door. Utterly confused, he went up to Akane's room. There he realized they had all fainted because Akane had been....He fainted.

Akane woke up the next morning. She realized everybody she knew and probably many more she didn't all knew what she had done. Ah well, she thought. Now I don't have to explain myself or hide it. She stripped down naked. Fine with me, she thought, as she threw herself onto the bed. But only Ranma knows I was thinking about him. I just have to be more careful about what I say while I'm doing it. She suddenly realized she wasn't doing anything but the vibrator still thrusted. Oh would you look at that, the vibrator's possessed. Oh look, now the vibrator's turned into Mousse. Well, as my all too horny sister Nabiki always says, If there's a smargen of zarble ghoffen jeorbadorbady BLAH!

"GWWWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!"

Akane woke up, and so did everyone else in the house. She panted as sweat poured down her face. She thought back and realized today was Sunday. She hadn't gone to school, nobody had fainted and now the only thing wrong was Shampoo was in the bed next to her. "What wrong babe, you want more sex?" asked Shampoo.

"GWWWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!"

Akane smacked herself in the face with a telephone book. Ow, that hurt, she thought. Yes, today was Sunday, and yes, she was awake, and how did she know? Because she was sane, and because everything was normal. Well, to the usual extent. She splashed water on herself, and on Ranma, and on Genma. He turned into a girl. Genma turned into a panda. There was no one in the house except those who were supposed to be. Akane sighed, and fell onto the couch. "Um, Akane?" said Ranma. "Yes?" she asked tiredly. "Did you know you tend to dictate your dreams?" Akane froze. She turned her head towards him. "Who heard?" she asked, fire in her eyes. "Um, uh, just me," said Ranma sheepishly. "Everyone else was gone, but uh, I heard just about everything from you turning on the radio to you and Shampoo in the bed. And I have got to say, you've got some STRANGE dreams there girl. I'd see a doctor if I were you. If I were me, I wouldn't." BOOT! Ranma flew out the window. Akane grumbled as she dialed Dr.Tofu's number.


	9. Falling Details After the Anticlimax

**Falling Details After the Anticlimax**

There came a knock at the door. "I'll get it," said Akane as she bounded down the stairs. Flinging open the door, Johnny smiled that characteristic lopsided smile. Akane squealed and threw her arms around his neck. "Oh Johnny, you're home!" she exclaimed. Looking over her shoulder, he smiled deviously at Ranma, who stood there looking only a bit angry. Instead of lashing out at Akane, he said, "Welcome home, buddy! Get everything you need?"

Akane let go of him and looked at him eagerly. "Yeah, did you get them?" she asked. Johnny sighed. "In a way, yes," he said hesitantly. Akane's eyes grew serious. "What do you mean?" she asked. Johnny sighed again and walked over to a window. Staring into it, he lost himself for a moment, then finally came back to his senses, and spoke. "I found them, and I got them," he said, "But I'm not going to do anything more." Ranma was confused. "What do you mean?" he asked Johnny. Johnny did not look at him. "I'm not leaving." "But, Johnny, they need you in the future!" exclaimed Akane. "Don't tell me you're going to abandon them, are you?" "They'll be fine without me," he said. "They'll manage; they're Marines, the army, they're tough." Ranma could sense something else behind this all.

"Johnny," he said quietly. "What?" asked Johnny. "Look at me, Johnny." Johnny hesitantly turned to face him, his head down. "Look at my eyes," said Ranma firmly. Johnny rose his head and looked into Ranma's eyes. "What are you not telling us?" asked Ranma gently but firmly. Johnny looked down, then up again, and around the room. He turned his back to Ranma and exhaled a long breath. Turning back to Ranma, he looked him square in the eye, and said, "I can't." "You can't what?" asked Ranma. Johnny pointed in a vague direction behind him. "Go back," he said. "I can't go back to the future. It's not only that I don't want to, it's simply that I can't." Ranma took a step back with a confused expression on his face. "Wh-what?" he said incredulously. "I mean, we built your ship up and it's almost ready to go! What do you mean you can't?! How do you mean?"

Johnny sighed a third time, looked at the ceiling, and said, 'Let's sit down." They went over to the living room and sat down with the rest of the family. "Oh Johnny, you're home!" said Kasumi. "Please, please, let me explain something to everyone," he said, holding up his hands to stop the talking. "Tendos, Saotomes, there's something I realized on my trip. And I found I didn't want to go back to where I belong. Where I used to belong. I realized I wanted to stay here, with you. I've just grown roots too deep to be torn out. But I knew I had a duty to do. I wished that somehow there was a way that there could be two "me"s; one here, one there. I thought about time paradoxes and how I might create one when I went back to the future, because if I happened to arrive there before I came here, then there would be two of me, one that could come back here and one that could go on with the mission. It was when I was thinking over this that I discovered, much to my horror, and delight, that there was less than a shred of hope to get myself home."

"What do you mean?" asked Nabiki. "When I first got transported here," said Johnny, leaning forward, "I did so on accident. It was a fluke that my grav compensator went off and I got transported through that black hole. I have no idea where that black hole is. I got there after a random hyperspace jump in an attempt to flee. Also, it was a fluke I got transported back to Earth. It wasn't planned. I could have wound up anywhere, at anywhen." "Where is this going?" asked Soun. "There is no telling what could happen if I tried to go back," explained Johnny. "_If _I manage to find a black hole and recreate the accident, there's no way to tell where I'll go. I could to the farthest reaches of the universe a quadrillion millenium from now, or at the center of the universe in its beginning. And then what would I do? Nothing, but die." This struck the group like a lightning bolt. They had never considered all the facts together at once. They realized that Johnny could not go back just as he realized it. "And so, I have to stay," said Johnny. "As it looks, by coming back here I've haven't seemed to mess anything up in time, at least not yet. I'm not going to go and try my luck again."

They all nodded, and they agreed Johnny could stay as long as he wanted. And so stay he did.

And so, Johnny decided to stay with the Tendos. Ranma and Akane told of their love to everyone, as did Ryoga and Nabiki. Shampoo, bereft of Ranma, found happiness with Mousse. To everyone's delight, Happosai suffered a fatal stroke and died. Pantyhose Taro, thus being able to release himself from his name, opted for a new name, Mitsurugi Mokendo (though no one knew where that one came from). Cologne, back from a trip to China, brought back real Spring of Drowned Man water, and thus Mousse, Ryoga, and Ranma were cured. Shampoo also received Spring of Drowned Girl water from Cologne. Kuno wound up going with Kasumi, having lost the two loves of his life to Ranma (and cursed spring water), and decided he would rather go with Akane's sister and be in laws with Ranma than enemies. Ukyo, having also lost Ranma, fell in love with Konatsu after awhile. Most of the other suitors of these fell away and ended up finding other people. Genma and Ranma's mother got back together, and Soun fell in love with Hinako. Johnny remained a bachelor, although it did not stop him from flirting with Kodachi. It seemed as if all had ended well. Almost too well.

Alas, alas, as the old saying goes, "the best laid plans of mice and men, they oft go astray." One night, Johnny, being the restless night owl he was, decided to at least put in the final parts on his ship so he could use it, since he could not sleep anyway. About an hour later, it was finished. Still not sleepy, thought Johnny. I guess I'll do a test run. I hope nobody minds. Starting up the engines, he ran a quick pre-flight check. "All systems go," said Johnny quietly to himself. It hummed, surprisingly quietly, out of the vacant lot where the family had decided to keep it and headed for space. Once clear of the atmosphere, Johnny engaged the hyperdrive. A red light flashed. "Uh oh," said Johnny. The fuel core was going critical. It was collapsing, becoming too dense. Johnny attempted to stabilize it, but it was no use. It just kept crushing itself. Johnny was struck with a premonition.

Could it be? With a sounding of tearing metal, the miniature black hole created by the collapsed element began sucking in the entire craft. In its death throes, the klaxons' noise, the howling wind, and the harsh red light, the ship was a nightmarish death trap. Johnny hung onto the ship but realized it would soon be pulled in too. As Johnny gave up and let go, the last thing he saw was the grav compensator. It screeched and exploded in a splash of blue energy and gravity waves. Johnny flew towards the hole, and everything went black.

Johnny sighed, and rolled out of bed, slapping the alarm clock. Ugh, he thought, tasting the inside of his mouth. Going over to the large carrier's only bathroom, Johnny splashed his face with water. "Hey, Master Chief, what's up?" Johnny turned. "Oh, hey Carl," said Johnny groggily. "You wanna take the Longsword down to the planet or have the dropship take us?" Johnny felt a strange feeling of deja vu. He never ignored his instincts or feelings. "Let's take the dropship," said Johnny.

Ranma gasped as the cold, icy cold blade pierced his skin and drove itself into his flesh. In horror he looked at the knife embedded in his stomach and toppled over. As he lay staring at the sky he could faintly hear a choked voice call his name. He realized it was Akane. She spoke his name. Then she sat down next to him to give him just one final.....YOU JERK!

"Arrgh!" yelled Ranma. He awoke with a start. Stupid macho jock chick, he thought. Can't get away from her, even in my dreams. Suddenly there was a crash and the whole household was at his door. Genma, a panda at the time, held up a sign: What's going on? We heard a scream. "Oh," said Ranma. "Just a bad dream. But if you'll excuse me I really need to use the restroom." He got up and walked swiftly to his bathroom. He spashed some cold water on his face to wake him up, and then some hot to make him a guy. He ran his hands down his face and shook his head to get rid of the water. Stupid Akane, he thought. She is kinda cute though. "When she's not being a stupid dork," he said out loud. WHOK! went the hammer on his head. "Well, sor-ry!" she yelled. Yeah, like right then, he thought.

And so, everything ended normally, as can be expected.

THE END


End file.
